DIY Network

Ideas for a Thanksgiving Centerpiece

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Cincinnati, Nov. 8, 1999 -- A Thanksgiving buffet is the easiest way to manage one turkey and many people in most homes. A small rug protects fine wood. (SHNS photo by Bruce Crippen/The Cincinnati Post.) Cincinnati, Nov. 8, 1999 -- Try a change of scene for a delayed dessert of pecan pie, Clementines and coffee. (SHNS photo by Bruce Crippen/The Cincinnati Post.) Cincinnati, Nov. 8, 1999 -- Welcome guests with a harvest scene, such as this foyer table arrangement. The mahogany Regency table is by Hickory Chair, in Kenwood, Ohio. (SHNS photo by Bruce Crippen/The Cincinnati Post.)

By Carole L. Phillips
Scripps Howard News Service
November 1999

With the Thanksgiving meal coming right up, now is the time to give a thought to a centerpiece for your table. Considering the celebration's humble beginning, homespun is better than luxe for the table setting. The food itself -- the red of cranberries, the warm brown of the turkey, the green of green beans, the orange of pumpkin pies -- does much to enliven the table. So the centerpiece can be as simple as a basket piled with shiny apples.

Here are other ideas using materials from yard or pantry:

• Properly, candles are not lit until the outdoor light dims enough that they are needed. But you still can make use of colorful or rustic candlesticks. Center three or more candleholders -- an odd number is better -- of different heights on your table, and top each with a polished pear.

• Gourds and tiny pumpkins also look nice on candleholder pedestals. Tuck amongst them several small vases or bottles containing a twig or two and some dry grasses or flowers.

• Turban squash are those wonderful squashes that appear composed of two rounds joined together, one somewhat smaller than the other. If you have a pair of cake stands, one smaller than the other, stack them; put a turban squash on top and mound miniature pumpkins and small gourds on the second level.

• Search the yard for an interesting twinning branch that will fit the center of your table. It's a good idea to spray the branch with insect repellent several days before using. Then let it air in basement or garage for several days to rid it of odor. Position the branch down the center of the table, resting miniature pumpkins in the crooks and bends and spreading nuts and gourds on the table around the branch. Add votive candles for an evening meal.

• Purchase a nice bunch of wheat from a craft store or florist. Trim bottoms so you have the height you prefer, then tie with a bright ribbon and stand the wheat shock in the center of the table.

• In place of place cards, write each guest's name on a tiny pumpkin. For the centerpiece, cut the top from a pumpkin and scoop out seeds; fill with trailing ivy cut from the yard. Cut the ivy early and give it a basement spray wash. Shake to dry before arranging in the pumpkin.

• Seed or bean topiaries are easy to make. Enlist the children; they'll enjoy the project. Fill garden pots with florist foam, add a straight twig cut from the yard and press on a foam ball in a size proportionate to the pot (the bigger the pot, the larger the ball, and the stouter the twig). Remove the ball and coat with white glue. Roll the ball in seeds or dried beans or peas, filling in where there are open spots. Allow glue to dry. Add a drop of glue to the top of the twig and fit the ball on top. Conceal the florist foam with purchased moss. Add a ribbon bow beneath the topiary ball or press a bow into the top. Make several topiaries to march down the table.

• Cover small foam balls with seeds, beans and peas using white glue. Dry thoroughly. Leave the seeds au naturel or coat with clear polyurethane spray. Rest ball on a paper cup and spray the top half; when dry, turn over and spray the other half. Tie, if you wish, with raffia ribbon. Mound in a wooden bowl or pair with pewter.

• Cranberries filling a variety of tall, slim vases add wonderful color, with or without a ribbon strategically placed. Cranberries also are wonderful in place of florist marbles in arrangements. A good-sized clear vase filled with cranberries to which you add corkscrew willow or other interestingly shaped branches can be simple and stunning.

  If you dine after dark, put cranberries in those narrow vases, fill with water and add floating candles for a wonderful glow that can reappear to brighten the December holidays.

• Another candle trick: With a hairdryer, warm the outside of a chunky purchased three-wick cream-colored candle; then press small colored leaves from the yard into the softened wax. Leave about an inch at the top of the candle bare.

• If you have attractive large leaves left on the ground, bring them in and press them between paper towels in a heavy book until you are ready to set the table; then arrange them around the base of the candleholder.

(Carole L. Philipps is home editor of the Cincinnati Post.)